Protective garment



Nov. 15, 1966 D. o. PRAssER PROTECTIVE GARMENT Filed March 6, 1964 United States Patent O 3,284,806 PROTECTIVE GARMENT Donald 0. Prasser, 1302 Chester Ave., Bakersfield, Calif.

Filed Mar. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 349,960 s Claims. (Cl. z-2.1)

This invention relates to a protective body garment particularly adapted for diving purposes.

One feature of the invention is a garment made of a cellular elastomer such as foam rubber with a metallic reenforcement to minimize abrasion or other damage but without affecting the body tting character of the garment. Another feature is the use of a metallic mesh for reenforcement with the mesh so arranged as to permit expansion of the garment to fit the body and to permit flexing at the body joints.

One feature by which to add flexibility is an interruption or overlapping of the mesh fabric in areas longitudinally of the body members or of the joints covered by the garment. Another feature is the location of the reenforcing metallic mesh selectively on one or the other surface of the foamed elastomer sheet, or in certain instances embedded therein for greater comfort or convenience.

Other features and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims, and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a view of the protective garment being Worn.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through one form of the material of the garment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through another form of the material of the garment.

FIG. 4 is a plan View of one form of the reenforcing metallic mesh.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of another form of the reenforcing metallic mesh.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a modification for llexibility at the joint.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the material showing additional reenforcement.

FIG. 8`is a plan view of another form of mesh.

FIG. 9 is a view through a body portion of the garment showing a modification to provide both expansibility and additional protection.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the arrangement for expansibility in a head and neck covering.

The invention is shown in connection with a suit intended for skin diving in which the diver has a hood or cap 2 with a neck portion, a jacket or shirt portion 4 including sleeves 6, a nether garment 8, and boots 14. These several garments overlap one another to provide substantially complete covering except for hands and face. As will appear from FIG. l, the shirt portion is provided with a tail piece which extends from the rear, through the crotch of the wearer, to the front of the upper garment where it is attached by means of snap fasteners 12.

This type of clothing is subjected to contact with coral, pieces of shipwrecks, and other objects found on the lake floor or ocean lloor and is frequently damaged thereby sometimes with injury to the diver. Furthermore, divers may be subject to attack by fish which could bite through a nonreenforced suit. The present invention is intended to protect the diver against these possibilities without affecting the lit of the suit or the mobility of the wearer of the suit. It will be understood that such a suit can be somewhat heavy as the diver customarily is required to add weight in order to reach the depths desired.

To accomplish the desired reenforcement, the material of the suit is made of one or more plies of foam ice rubber or other cellular elastomer which has flexibility to permit the wearer to don the suit and to have the suit fit snugly without discomfort. As shown in FIG. 2, the material includes two plies 16 and 18 of the foam rubber on opposite sides of the metallic mesh fabric 20, the rubber and the metallic fabric all being bonded securely together. The metallic mesh is stainless steel or other material not subject to oxidation or to corrosion by salt water or by fresh lake water, wherever the suit may be used.

Another form of material for the suit may be a single layer of foam rubber 22, FIG. 3, with the metallic mesh fabric 24 on one surface thereof. This material may be used with the wire mesh either on the outside or inside of the finished garment dependent upon the conditions to which the wearer may subject the suit. Obviously the wire mesh externally of the suit will provide protection for both wearer and suit, whereas the wire mesh internally will protect the wearer but may permit severe damage to the rubber. However, with the wire mesh internally of the garment there is almost no likelihood of snagging the wire fabric in such a way as to prevent the diver from surfacing.

To permit flexibility the wire mesh fabric is made up preferably in a diamond weave pattern, as in FIG. 4, in which the warp and weft wires 26 and 28, respectively, are arranged at an acute angle to each other rather than at a right angle. Added flexibility may be obtained by crimping some or all of the wires of the fabric, as in FIG. 5, in which both the warp wires 30 and the weft wires 32 have closely adjacent crimps 34 therein. In this way the wires have a measurable extensibility in the direction of the wires as well as obliquely thereto.

Furthermore, in making the individual garments of the suit the material is so arranged that the wires of the fabric extend diagonally of the portion of the body covered by the garment rather than transversely or longitudinally of the body member. For-example, in FIG. 6 which shows the knee 36, the thigh 38 and calf 40 of a diver with a leg of the suit thereon, the wires 42 of the fabric are shown as extending diagonally or obliquely to the body member rather than directly around or parallel to the body member. A similar arrangement would be used in the part of the suit covering the divers arms and torso. In this way the suit is stretchable to permit the diver to don or to remove the suit and the suit will still fit the wearer with the snugness desirable.

Such flexibility also permits the diver to move arms and legs, and also to bend knees, and elbows and other joints while wearing the suit. For increased flexibility at joints such as elbow or knee, a part of the reenforcing wire mesh may be omitted, for example, at the inside 44 of the knee, where the mesh is shown not to exist in this area in FIG. 6. The mesh is preferably omitted in the areas least subject to abrasion, such as the inside or underside of the knee and the inside of the elbow.

Further to provide expansibility, more especially around the arms or legs, the material of the suit may have areas of overlapping wire mesh. As shown in FIG. 9, the foam rubber 52 has one section of wire mesh 54 extending somewhat more than half the distance around the cylinder of foam rubber and another section of wire mesh 56 located in the remainder of the cylinder of rubber but also extending somewhat more than half the distance around the cylinder to provide an area 58 where the two layers of wire mesh overlap, this area extending longitudinally of the body member encompassed by the cylinder. Thus, this construction could be used instead of the arrangement of FIG. 6 and the overlap area would extend lengthwise of the leg including the knee and/ or ankle.

Added flexibility is obtained by omission of the wire mesh in areas extending longitudinally of the joint or body member. In FIG. 10, the cap 60 may have the regular wire mesh over the major portion of the head 62 and neck 64 except that for greater mobility of the diver the cap will have areas 66 from which the wire mesh is omitted. These areas extend lengthwise of the neck portion and may go over the top of the head. In the neck portion it will be clear that the areas of no reenforcement extend lengthwise of the joint or joints in the neck and thus give a substantially greater freedom for bending the neck. Similar longitudinal areas of nonreenforcement may be provided instead of the localized area of FIG. 6, with the areas extending lengthwise of the leg and knee, or, similarly, lengthwise of the arm and elbow or wrist.

If the absence of any reenforcement in these areas is considered too hazardous, the layers of wire mesh used may be such that they overlap as in FIG. 9, thus giving flexibility and extensibility but Without sacrificing full protection.

For added protection, in areas most subject to wear or abrasion, such as shoulders, the front of the knees, the shins and the outside of the elbows, for example, the material may have an added thickness of wire mesh embedded within the rubber. As shown in FIG. 7, the foam rubber 46 has the regular wire mesh fabric 48 therein and, in addition, a second wire fabric 50 preferably of heavier wires or a closer weave also embedded therein and preferably between the regular wire fabric and the outside of the garment.

Although a woven fabric has been shown and described other types of wire fabric may be utilized as, for example, a knitted wire fabric might be effective in many instances. Alternatively, for added flexibility and maximum protection the metallic fabric may be made up of a plurality of rings 68 which are intermeshed as shown to form a interlinked fabric. The rings may then be crimped as by passing the fabric between heavy rollers to reduce the thickness so that the fabric may be ernbedded in the foam rubber without the latter being excessively thick.

It is contemplated that the foam rubber may be either the wet suit type or the dry type depending upon the purpose for which the suit is intended. A treatment by which to make the foam rubber watertight on either the inner or outer surface is well known in the art.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described, but may be used in other Ways without departure from its spirit as defined by the following claims.

I claim.

1. A protective garment to cover at least a body Inember of the human anatomy including a layer of a cellular elastomer and a layer of metallic mesh composed of wires bonded thereto and substantially coextensive therewith, the mesh being arranged to have the wires thereof extend diagonally of the body member on which it is placed, said cellular elastomer having a flexibility assuring a snug fit without discomfort to the wearer.

2. A garment as in claim 1 in which the metallic mesh is embedded in the layer of elastomer.

3. A garment as in claim 1 in which the metallic mesh is a material resistant to oxidation.

4. A garment as in claim 1 in which the covered portion of the anatomy includes a joint, such as a knee, and in which the mesh is interrupted selectively to increase flexibility.

5. A garment as in claim 4 in which the mesh is overlapped as well as interrupted to increase flexibility.

6. A garament as in claim 4 in which the interruption of ,the mesh extends longitudinally of the body member.

7. A garment as in claim 1 in which the garment includes, in selected areas a second layer of heaver reenforcing mesh composed of wires spaced from the irst layer to increase the resistance to damage.

8. A protective garment to cover at least one joint of the human anatomy and to t snugly thereon including a layer of stretchable foam rubber and a layer of expansible metallic fabric bonded thereto and substantially coextensive therewith, the metallic fabric being interrupted in areas extending substantially longitudinally of-the .-joint' to increase'flexibility of the garment at the joint.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 244,557 7/ 1881 Crawford. 2,617,207 11/1952 Jennett 2-22 X 2,674,644 4/ 1954 Goodloe 174--35 2,864,091 l 12/1958 Schneider 2-2.5 X 2,981,954 5/ 1961 Garbellano 22.1 3,007,205 11/1961 House 161-89 X JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD I. SCANLAN, J R., Examiner. 

1. A PROTECTIVE GARMENT TO COVER AT LEAST A BODY MEMBER OF THE HUMAN ANATOMY INCLUDING A LAYER OF A CELLULAR ELASTOMER AND A LAYER OF METALLIC MESH COMPOSED OF WIRES BONDED THERETO AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE THEREWITH, THE MESH BEING ARRANGED TO HAVE THE WIRES THEREOF EXTEND DIAGONALLY OF THE BODY MEMBER ON WHICH IT IS PLACED, SAID CELLULAR ELASTOMER HAVING A FLEXIBILITY ASSURING A SNUG FIT WITHOUT DISCOMFORT TO THE WEARER. 